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From buildbrain
Reference manual for BuildBrain CLI tools (ifc_extract.py and pdf_extract.py). Shows all commands, flags, output formats, and type shorthands. Use this as a reference when working with IFC or PDF data.
npx claudepluginhub thebrownproject/buildbrainHow this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/buildbrain:cli-toolsThis skill is limited to the following tools:
The summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
This is the reference manual for the two CLI tools that power BuildBrain. Other skills (`/scan`, `/ifc-extract`, `/pdf-extract`, `/cross-validate`, `/report`) use these tools — refer here for command syntax and output formats.
Guides Payload CMS config (payload.config.ts), collections, fields, hooks, access control, APIs. Debugs validation errors, security, relationships, queries, transactions, hook behavior.
Implements vector databases with Pinecone, Weaviate, Qdrant, Milvus, pgvector for semantic search, RAG, recommendations, and similarity systems. Optimizes embeddings, indexing, and hybrid search.
Share bugs, ideas, or general feedback.
This is the reference manual for the two CLI tools that power BuildBrain. Other skills (/scan, /ifc-extract, /pdf-extract, /cross-validate, /report) use these tools — refer here for command syntax and output formats.
The scripts are bundled with this plugin at scripts/ifc_extract.py and scripts/pdf_extract.py relative to this skill's directory.
The CLI scripts are located in this skill's scripts/ directory. To get the absolute path:
# The scripts directory is relative to this SKILL.md file
# From the plugin root:
ls skills/cli-tools/scripts/
All commands below use python <path-to-script> — replace with the actual path to the scripts directory.
Wraps IfcOpenShell. Queries IFC building models and returns structured JSON.
summary — Scan entire modelpython <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> summary
Returns: element type counts, storeys, schema version, file size, parse time.
list <type> — List all elements of a typepython <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> list <element_type>
Returns: all elements with guid, name, type_name, storey, properties, quantities, material.
props <guid> — Detailed properties for one elementpython <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> props <guid>
Returns: full property sets, quantity sets, material, and metadata for a single element.
query <type> — Filter elements by propertypython <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> query <type> --property <Pset.Property> --value <value>
python <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> query <type> --property <Pset.Property> --not-null
Examples:
query door --property Pset_DoorCommon.FireRating --not-nullquery wall --property Pset_WallCommon.IsExternal --value truequery door --property Pset_DoorCommon.FireRating --value nullquantities <type> — Pre-computed aggregatespython <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> quantities <type>
python <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> quantities <type> --group-by storey
python <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> quantities <type> --group-by type
Returns: totals (count, area, volume), grouped breakdowns, source tracking (Qto_ vs geometry computed).
Use this instead of computing numbers yourself — LLMs never do arithmetic.
validate — Data quality checkpython <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> validate
Returns: issues (missing psets, proxy elements, orphans) and completeness metrics per element type.
export <type> — CSV exportpython <scripts>/ifc_extract.py <file.ifc> export <type> --output <file.csv>
| Flag | Works with | Effect |
|---|---|---|
--save | All commands | Write output to output/ifc_<type>_<timestamp>.json |
--limit N | list, query, export | Max elements to return |
--offset N | list, query, export | Skip first N elements |
--fields f1,f2 | list, query, export | Only include specific fields |
--compact | list, query, export | Return only guid, name, type, storey (no properties) |
| Shorthand | IFC Type | Also accepts |
|---|---|---|
door | IfcDoor | |
window | IfcWindow | |
wall | IfcWall | |
slab | IfcSlab | floor |
roof | IfcRoof | |
column | IfcColumn | |
beam | IfcBeam | |
stair | IfcStair | |
railing | IfcRailing | |
space | IfcSpace | room |
covering | IfcCovering |
Any unrecognised type is passed through as-is (e.g., IfcFurniture, IfcBuildingElementProxy).
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "fire-rated doors" | query door --property Pset_DoorCommon.FireRating --not-null |
| "doors without fire rating" | query door --property Pset_DoorCommon.FireRating --value null |
| "external doors" | query door --property Pset_DoorCommon.IsExternal --value true |
| "security-rated doors" | query door --property Pset_DoorCommon.SecurityRating --not-null |
| "door count" / "how many doors" | quantities door |
| "doors per level" | quantities door --group-by storey |
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "external windows" | query window --property Pset_WindowCommon.IsExternal --value true |
| "acoustic-rated windows" | query window --property Pset_WindowCommon.AcousticRating --not-null |
| "total window area" | quantities window |
| "windows per level" | quantities window --group-by storey |
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "external walls" | query wall --property Pset_WallCommon.IsExternal --value true |
| "internal walls" | query wall --property Pset_WallCommon.IsExternal --value false |
| "load-bearing walls" | query wall --property Pset_WallCommon.LoadBearing --value true |
| "fire-rated walls" | query wall --property Pset_WallCommon.FireRating --not-null |
| "wall areas per level" | quantities wall --group-by storey |
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "load-bearing slabs" | query slab --property Pset_SlabCommon.LoadBearing --value true |
| "floor areas per level" | quantities slab --group-by storey |
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "fire-rated roofs" | query roof --property Pset_RoofCommon.FireRating --not-null |
| "total roof area" | quantities roof |
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "load-bearing columns" | query column --property Pset_ColumnCommon.LoadBearing --value true |
| "columns per level" | quantities column --group-by storey |
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "load-bearing beams" | query beam --property Pset_BeamCommon.LoadBearing --value true |
| "beam spans" | list beam (check Span in Pset_BeamCommon) |
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "fire-rated stairs" | query stair --property Pset_StairCommon.FireRating --not-null |
| "stair dimensions" | list stair (check NumberOfRiser, RiserHeight, TreadLength) |
Note: Stair quantities are on child IfcStairFlight via Qto_StairFlightBaseQuantities.
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "public spaces" | query space --property Pset_SpaceCommon.PubliclyAccessible --value true |
| "room areas" | list space (areas in Qto_SpaceBaseQuantities, not Pset) |
| "gross planned area" | query space --property Pset_SpaceCommon.GrossPlannedArea --not-null |
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "external railings" | query railing --property Pset_RailingCommon.IsExternal --value true |
| "railing heights" | list railing (check Height in Pset_RailingCommon) |
| User says | CLI command |
|---|---|
| "what's in this model" | summary |
| "data quality" | validate |
| "show element [GUID]" | props <guid> |
| "export to CSV" | export <type> --output output/<type>.csv |
| "proxy elements" | list IfcBuildingElementProxy |
Wraps pdfplumber. Extracts text, tables, and schedules from PDF construction documents.
schedules — Auto-detect schedule tablespython <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> schedules
Scans every page for known schedule column headers (door, window, finish). Best starting point.
search "keyword" — Find pages containing a keywordpython <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> search "door schedule"
python <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> search "fire rating"
Returns matching pages with context snippets. Use this to locate content before extracting.
tables — Extract tables from pagespython <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> tables
python <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> tables --pages 12-15
python <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> tables --pages 3,7,12-14
text — Extract raw text from pagespython <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> text
python <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> text --pages 1-5
| Flag | Works with | Effect |
|---|---|---|
--save | All commands | Write output to output/pdf_<command>_<timestamp>.json |
--pages | text, tables | Page range: 1-5, 12, 1,3,5-8 |
# What schedules are in this PDF?
python <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> schedules --save
# Find the door schedule
python <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> search "door schedule" --save
python <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> tables --pages <matched_pages> --save
# Extract everything from page 5
python <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> text --pages 5 --save
python <scripts>/pdf_extract.py <file.pdf> tables --pages 5 --save
Both tools return structured JSON errors:
{"error": true, "error_type": "file_not_found", "message": "File not found: nonexistent.ifc"}
Exit codes: 0 = success, 1 = failure, 2 = invalid arguments.
quantities for counts, areas, volumes. Never sum values from list output.--save so results persist for /cross-validate and /report.data/ to find files.